News

PFIPC Scam: Adeyemi Exploiting Public Anger Over Corruption To Evade Accountability — Presidency

ByTitilope Adako

PublishedJuly 4, 2026

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has accused Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew of exploiting public outrage over corruption in Nigeria to evade criminal responsibility by attempting to implicate the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, in his alleged fraudulent activities.

Ajayi made the remarks on Friday while reacting to the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an organisation Adeyemi allegedly claimed to head as Director-General.

The controversy followed a disclaimer issued last month by the Chief of Staff, who informed Nigerians, foreign missions, financial institutions and other organisations that the PFIPC was not a Federal Government agency and that Adeyemi had never been appointed as its Director-General.

On July 1, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, also disclosed that Adeyemi had been standing trial since November 27, 2025, over allegations of maintaining 34 bank accounts in the names of fictitious government agencies. Onanuga described him as a “con artist” with a history of falsely claiming official positions.

Reacting in a post shared on his social media platforms, Ajayi said allegations of corruption were the easiest and most effective accusations to level against public officials because they quickly divert attention from the real issues.

He said, “Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues.”

According to him, “Adeniyi understands Nigerian public psychology, and he is exploiting it expertly to shield himself.

“He is an irredeemable con artist who is attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his criminal enterprise. The Chief of Staff is simply his last straw.”

Ajayi revealed that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been tasked with investigating the full extent of the alleged fraud, including how Adeyemi was able to forge presidential appointment letters and present himself as the Director-General of the fictitious council.

He acknowledged concerns raised by commentators over the systemic failures that allowed the alleged scheme to thrive, but maintained that the same system ultimately detected the fraud.

According to him, while internal collaborators undoubtedly assisted Adeyemi, the fact that officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified the irregularities and reported them to the appropriate authorities demonstrated that the system was capable of detecting wrongdoing.

“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively.

“First, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the statutory agency responsible for investment promotion, together with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, identified the anomaly and lodged complaints with the appropriate authorities for clarification.

“That is a system functioning as it should. It is a system capable of detecting an aberration.”

Ajayi stressed that investigators must now uncover the network of collaborators within the affected institutions.

“What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel. The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.